Singapore’s international standing as a free trade and shipping hub may not come without its drawbacks, it appears, after a recent study shone a spotlight on large quantities of threatened birds being shipped through the country’s ports.

The study – published in April this year by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic – highlighted a discrepancy of about 86,000 birds in the number imported into Singapore and that exported.

It is unlikely the birds that are unaccounted for are intended for the domestic market, given the scale of the discrepancy, said the study.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said a possible reason for the discrepancy is that exported birds are not necessarily those imported in the same year – they could have remained in Singapore for a few years before re-export.

AVA said other reasons could be several bird farms in Singapore that breed birds, and the possibility of import permits that have been issued but not used.

In a report to the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Singapore said it imported 225,561 birds and exported 136,912 from 2005 to 2014, making it a major global aviculture transit hub.

About 210 species from 35 countries were imported, and 195 species were exported to 37 countries.

Singapore imports birds from places like the Solomon Islands, Holland, Taiwan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa, while export destinations include Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.

African grey parrots make up the bulk of the trade. They are popular for their intelligence and speaking ability but, as a result, their numbers have been decimated in parts of their native range in Africa.

Conservationist Steve Boyes, who works with parrots in Africa, told The Straits Times that poachers catch the birds using fishing nets, or by using a long stick with a perch that is smeared with glue.

“Calling birds” are used to lure them close enough for poachers to catch them.

Dr Boyes, who was in Singapore last month to speak at the INK Asia conference, said: “Poachers put 50 or 60 birds in one sack, and they are all on top of and injuring one other.”

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), to which Singapore is a signatory, trade in animals on the Cites list is prohibited without a permit.

The WCS-Traffic study said some of the countries from which Singapore imported Cites-listed birds had a history of abuse of Cites permits, among other things.

The study said Singapore needed to exercise greater caution in ensuring that specimens are imported and exported in accordance with Cites, and to “adopt a policy of greater transparency concerning its role in the regulation and monitoring of wildlife trade”.

An AVA spokesman said that while the agency continues to enforce regulatory measures, illegal trade in endangered animals is fuelled by demand and poaching. He added that a concerted effort by the international community is required to tackle the problem.

linyc@sph.com.sg

audreyt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 07, 2016.
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The authorities have agreed to keep two green plots in a 30ha secondary forest in Lentor which will be cleared later this year to make way for private homes.

The areas adjacent to Munshi Abdullah Walk will be temporarily kept for at least five years. The decision was made following discussions with residents and the Nature Society (Singapore) or NSS, which had hoped that the lifespan of the green lung could be extended.

But the rest of the forest, through which two rare freshwater streams run through, will be cleared. Works to facilitate the introduction of supporting infrastructure such as drains, sewers and roads will start in the third quarter of this year and is expected to take five years.

But a wildlife management plan will be implemented before the works begin to ensure animals in the area can be safely guided to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in the west, or the forested area in the north, The Straits Times has learnt.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has also worked with the National Parks Board to salvage and relocate plant species of varying conservation statuses, a URA spokesman told ST.

Plans to develop the area were first laid out in URA’s Master Plan 2014. In December last year, residents of Teacher’s Estate received URA fliers informing them that works to clear the forest bordering the estate would start before Chinese New Year. This alarmed residents, many of whom enjoy living near the greenery, they said. After talks between URA and the residents, the works have been delayed to the third quarter.

Apart from keeping the two green areas, URA said other suggestions from the community, such as plans for a park, canal and natural landscape features such as plants, will also be incorporated to soften the surroundings.

NSS also submitted a 10-page position paper to URA, pointing out the rich biodiversity in the area. Rare animals like the critically endangered Sunda pangolin and banded leaf monkey have been spotted there.

The society proposed that the area be developed in four stages instead of being cleared at one go, to extend the lifespan of the forest.

But URA, which said it has studied the proposal in detail, said it was not feasible “due to the need to holistically introduce the supporting infrastructure required for the new neighbourhood”.

Dr Ho Hua Chew, NSS’ conservation committee vice-chairman, said it is disappointed with the decision. “The two lovely forest streams, Tagore and Lentor – rare outside the nature reserve – will be canalised or wiped out, along with the green corridor for wildlife movement from the Central Catchment Nature Reserve to the Tagore forest.”

Chemical consultant and Munshi Abdullah Walk resident Kwan K.M, 64, said: “We understand that the Government has a plan, but maybe some plans can be re-looked, especially with developments such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, which focused on the role of forests.”

audreyt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 07, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.